With director Tarsem Singh’s new film Immortals opening this weekend, Collider has been overrun with exclusive interviews with the filmmakers and cast over the past few days. For those not familiar with Immortals (watch the trailer and clips), the film centers on Theseus (Henry Cavill), a mortal who teams up with the Greek gods in order to defeat the power-hungry King Hyperion (Mickey Rourke). The film also stars Freida Pinto, Luke Evans, Isabel Lucas, Joseph Morgan, Kellan Lutz, and Stephen Dorff.

During my interview with producer Mark Canton, we spoke about the challenge of getting the project made, the comparisons to 300, the practical sets and the 3D, the violence, and working within the budget. We also talked about Canton’s other projects such as the 300 sequel (300: Battle for Artemisia), Piranha 3DD, Freelancers, The Tomb and Emperor – which will be directed by BurrSteers. Hit the jump to watch.

Mark Canton Time Index

:45 Talks about the film in relation to 300 and how they didn’t want to try to replicate what 300 did. After they got the script, they took it to Tarsem.

2:36 Was it tough to get financing? Talks about how the production got moving.

3:47 Talks about using more practical sets vs. CGI. Tarsem was inspired by the artwork of the Renaissance and had a specific vision in mind. He wanted it to be authentic, but also wanted to take advantage of today’s technology. They had a sterographer on set to prepare for the 3D conversion, and they also had a painter on set that aided in the vision.

5:05 How much time did he spend on set? He says either he or Gianni are on set at all times.

5:23 Talks about working with the budget without compromising the vision, and what parts of the story they cut out that made the film better as a whole.

7:40 The level of violence in the film. Says they didn’t set out to make it gory, but they had to respect the authenticity of the battles. They try to make the authenticity palatable and fun for the audience.

8:39 Talks about deleted scenes. Says some things will be more graphic and longer.

9:24 In the landscape of filmmaking, what’s changed over the years? He says it’s now harder to get a “yes” on a project, and it’s not a movie star-driven business anymore.

10:15 The status of the 300 sequel. Says it’s in process. The script is written, and the film isn’t a sequel or a prequel, it’s another story set in the same universe.

11:00 Says some of the characters from 300 will likely pop up in the follow-up.